Fourteen registered political parties in Osun State have elected a new nine-member executive committee for a faction of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, in Osun State.

The election was conducted through affirmation on Monday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, in the presence of representatives of the participating political parties.

Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Alliance, DLA, Tosin Odeyemi, emerged as the new Chairman of the faction, while Prof. Adigun Adepeju of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, was elected Deputy Chairman.

Other members of the executive include Araoye Kazeem of the Action Alliance, AAC, as Secretary, Adesuyi Olufemi of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, as Publicity Secretary, and Mustapha Muideen of the Labour Party, LP, as Treasurer.

Dr Gbenga Afeni of the National Rescue Movement, NRM, was elected Organising Secretary, while Waheed Adediran of the All Progressives Congress, APC, emerged as Legal Adviser.

Tayo Adeyemi of the African Action Congress, AAC, became Financial Secretary, with Adebayo Olasunkanmi of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, elected Deputy Secretary.

The election was attended by chairmen and representatives of several political parties, including the Action Democratic Party, ADP, Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Social Democratic Party, SDP, and National Democratic Party, NDP. 

The electoral committee was chaired by the National Democratic Party’s Ezekiel Ayoola.

In his acceptance speech, Odeyemi said 16 of the 22 registered political parties in the state participated in the process, explaining that the decision to constitute a new executive followed the failure of the national leadership of IPAC to fill the vacant positions in Osun.

“This vacuum is causing concern among stakeholders, particularly with the gubernatorial election approaching. The absence of a functioning IPAC raises a critical question: who will serve as the official mouthpiece for political parties in the engagements and consultations preceding the election?” he said.

Odeyemi stated, “After due consultation, sixteen registered political parties in Osun State out of the twenty-two felt we should not allow our collective council to be hijacked by those desperate to put us in the coven of a political party.”

He added that the newly inaugurated executive had received the consent of the participating parties to serve as an intermediary between political parties and the electorate, pledging to justify the confidence reposed in the leadership.

“I want to appreciate our National Executive Committee of IPAC, my leaders and elders in Osun IPAC for this great trust; I will never take it for granted,” Odeyemi said.

He added that the executive would work to protect the interests of member parties and strengthen democratic engagement.

The emergence of the new executive followed recent disagreements within the council after some registered political parties rejected the appointment of a caretaker committee for Osun IPAC. 

The Caretaker committee is being chaired by Odesola Oluseye Titus of the All Peoples Party, APP.

The development created a leadership dispute within the umbrella body of political parties in the state.

DAILY POST had earlier reported that Odesola-led newly inaugurated IPAC caretaker committee of Osun IPAC had called on political parties to unite ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.

This is as IPAC also stressed the need for fairness, integrity and respect throughout the electoral process.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony also on Monday, the caretaker committee chairman, Odesola Oluseye, urged members of IPAC to put aside their differences and work together to strengthen democracy in the state.

Oluseye said the approaching election required all political stakeholders to stand together in promoting peaceful participation and safeguarding the credibility of the electoral process.

The spokesperson for the Accord Party Governorship Campaign Council in Osun State, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has alleged that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mr Olatunji Disu ordered the continued detention of a party member, Popoola Alaba, despite investigators allegedly finding no evidence linking him to any offence.

Olajengbesi made the allegation during an interview on ARISE News while reacting to Alaba’s arrest amid political tensions ahead of the Osun governorship election.

According to him, the allegations levelled against Alaba, particularly claims that he was arrested with firearms, were not supported by investigators handling the case.

“Those allegations are embarrassing to the knowledge of the Nigerian Police. The man that was arrested was arrested with nothing. He was arrested at the point where he was sensitising his supporters,” Olajengbesi said.

He argued that if the police genuinely recovered firearms or any incriminating items from the suspect, such evidence should have been made public.

“The Nigerian Police should have ordinarily come out and shown to the public the evidence or whatever material they had relating to possession of firearms,” he added.

Olajengbesi further claimed that members of the campaign council met with officers handling the investigation, who allegedly informed them that there was no petition against Alaba and that nothing incriminating was recovered from him.

“We’ve met with the officers in charge of the investigation and they have said to us that there’s no petition against the man and nothing was found on him, but it is just very unfortunate that they have instructions from the Inspector-General of Police to detain him until further notice,” he alleged.

Describing the development as troubling, the Accord Party spokesman called on the Nigeria Police Force and the media to publicly disclose any evidence supporting the allegations against Alaba.

“That’s a sad experience we have today in Osun State and I challenge the Nigerian Police, and I challenge the press, to investigate or come out and show to the public the firearms or the unlawful possession they claimed they found with him,” he said.

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